Wow, it’s certainly been a while since I have written, but it’s time again to check up on how bright the Bucs’ future is! As the season gets under way, I will be taking a more in depth look at what kind of talent the Pirates have in the farm system in 2011. It is the first time in a while that the Pirates will be starting the season with some actual former prospects for multiple years. Here is a chance to see what we will be looking at in the coming years, or even later this year. Let’s start in Indianapolis with the Indians.

This is definitely the least exciting AAA team that we’ve seen in a while with no big names to draw our attention, but if you look a little closer there are a few guys that you may not know much about that you should keep your eye on. There are also some guys that we have all heard of and believe are doomed and will never see the majors, but may I point out that many of us (including myself) thought Neil Walker was one of those guys.

OF Alex Presley: The 25 year old, left handed, 5’9 outfielder chosen in the 8th round of the 2006 draft had a spectacular year last year. It seemed like this kid was getting two hits every day last year (as he hit .320 in the minors), and actually got some time with the big league club in September where he posted a respectable .261 average in 23 at-bats. Presley could certainly be useful off the bench and filling in when outfielders are hurt; he has a little bit of pop and speed (12 home runs and 13 stolen bases last year). He did not hit well this spring and seemed to be a little timid, but once he gets in a rhythm he is a fun guy to watch. He says he still has a lot to learn still, so hopefully we still have not seen the ceiling on Presley.

OF/2B Corey Wimberly: This is another short, young, speedy, and exciting outfielder to see. Wimberly is a 27 year old switch hitter who was drafted by the Rockies in the 6th round in 2005, and came over from the Athletics in this year’s off season. The difference between he and Presley is that Corey had a lot more speed and less power potential. Wimberly is a consistent mid-.280′s hitter who swiped 56 bags in AAA last year. He can also play second base which is some great flexibility to have off the bench. Another thing I (and anyone else who has seen his twitter @wimboslice3) have noticed is his optimism and attitude. He is a highly motivated individual who seems to have a great personality. When he foud out he was traded to Pittsburgh he showed indescribable excitement to have a chance to be a big league player. Wimberly said that he would make it impossible for the organization to not put him on the club this year, but he did not play nearly as well as we hoped this spring. Still, do not count out Wimberly for all of those who say he is just another quad A player.

OF Gorkys Hernandez: The 6 foot, 23 year old outfielder came over in the Nate McLouth deal and generated some excitement at the time. That excitement was followed up by some pretty poor hitting until the end of last year where Gorkys started getting comfortable. Sure his final numbers from last year are underwhelming (.266, 17 stolen bases), but I believe that something changed for him. He hit .261 in 23 ABs this spring, and won’t be in the majors very soon. On the other hand, just like I was thinking about Neil Walker last year, he is only 23 and will be in AAA for a while, and having the talent he has you would think he would figure it out at some point. I believe in 2 years when he will be just 25, Pirates fans will know his goofy name and be excited about him.

RP Danny Moskos: Ahh yes…the famous 4th overall pick in 2007 is becoming relevant, but we are still filled with uncertainty about the soon-to-be 25 year old left hander. He is now a reliever if you had not kept up with him last year, and he had an great showing his first go around with the closing duties last year in AA, posting a 1.52 ERA with 21 saves in Altoona. Problems came when Daniel got to Indianapolis where he went 0-5 with a 10+ ERA. Now I do think he will be a good closer this year when he settles into Indy, but there will likely be the same rocky transition period when he ascends to big league ball. What I worry about is him losing confidence when he first struggles when he breaks into Major League Baseball. Does Moskos have a shot at being a viable reliever in the future? Many say no, but he is still young and we seem to be short on lefties every year. My hope is that he could transforminto that Damaso Marte situation lefty kind of guy that can get the Bucs one out when they need it, but the jury is still out on Daniel (who is a great guy by the way).

P Daniel McCutchen: D-Cutch is a 6’2 righty that came over in the Nady/Marte deal (which was a steal for us by the way) who has had a decent amount of big league experience, but will start this year in Indy. Daniel struggled mightily when he made the Pirates’ rotation last year, and was not great when he went back down to Indianapolis. He is not a strikeout guy at all but in the future could be an innings eater who could get the job done as a long reliever (Vogelsong anyone?). This isn’t really someone who we see fitting into the rotation, but maybe a guy who could fill in well with injuries and be a decent reliever. There’s not a high ceiling for McCutchen because we already have one that’s pretty good, but we can hope that he can be someone who can be a good guy to go to when the starters get crushed early. That position could be way more valuable than you think, especially with this rotation. It is possible that we could see him up at any time, pending an injury or trade of someone in the bullpen.

SP/RP Tony Watson: Tony Watson? That was exactly the thought I had when I realized that this guy snuck under the radar to the point where I did not know of him. Turns out, last year he pitched incredibly well for Altoona as a starter down the stretch. This 25 year old lefty will likely be a reliever once he breaks into the majors but I like his potential a lot. His strikeout rate is fantastic, averaging almost one an inning last year. Watson could prove to be a valuable pitcher this year; if he replicates his numbers from last year in AAA, I expect him to get a call up before the year is over. This is mostly because of the Pirates’ scarcity when it comes to left handed relievers. He didn’t have great numbers this spring, but it was a small sample size for the former 9th rounder. He gets virtually every left hander he faces out, so he may be a situational guy since he doesn’t have great velocity on his fastball. Still, look for him to contribute at least by next year.

1B Jeff Clement: Another guy considered to be a “quad A” player, Clement is a 27 year old former 3rd overall draft pick by the Seattle Mariners. He came over in the Jack Wilson deal, and has not impressed many fans. Opening last year he was slated to be the Bucs’ full time first baseman, but did not last long. Clement hit .201 in the majors and was a disappointment to those who have not been disappointed by him before. When he got sent down to Indianapolis, he continued his slow start, but around July Clement turned it on and had a strong finish to the season, getting his numbers all the way up to .305 (but with only 8 homers). He seems to be a hitter that has to sacrifice his power to get on base with any consistency, but Clement still has a lot of talent. He does have power and traditionally plays very well in the minors, but may need to be given a true shot for an extended amount of time in order to be consistently successful. It took Garrett Jones a while, maybe Clement will have a Jones-like season upcoming.

SP Brad Lincoln: This may surprise you, but Lincoln is still a 25 year old. So he wasn’t successful his first time in the big leagues as a starter? Neither was Zack Greinke (not making a comparison, just stating a fact). Though many are just counting Lincoln as another failed draft pick, he still has loads of potential. Sure his chances at being an ace were unluckily flushed down the toilet when he needed Tommy John his first year as a professional, but Brad can be as good as a number 3 guy and maybe better in this Pirates rotation. I often watched Lincoln last year when he pitched for the Bucs, and he just didn’t seem like himself. I often pointed out that he seemed extremely nervous, which seemed to discourage him from using his breaking ball (which can be lethal). Anyone who watched him last year and does not admit to seeing flashes of an above par major league pitcher is being irrational. Each level in the minors it has taken Brad a while to settle down and start performing like he can. Right now he is on the shelf after being hit by a line drive on the forearm this spring, but when he gets back he will report to Indy. Clint Hurdle was impressed with him this spring, and I see him pitching well in the minors. If that happens, he will surely get a chance to be in the big league rotation this year with this unstable rotation, and I think Lincoln will do much better.

SP Rudy Owens: The 23 year old will make the jump to Indianapolis this year and the organization is hoping for some big things out of Rudy, and rightfully so. The lefty went 12-6 with a 2.46 ERA last year in Altoona, and if he puts up the same numbers this year, he will be in the rotation by the All-Star break or sooner. I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Owens in the past because he rarely goes more than 6 innings and seems to translate to a middle of the rotation guy in the majors, where some believe he is ace material (loose definition of the word ace). These were just my opinions based on what I saw in his boxscores every outing. I did the math and he averaged about 5.77 innings per start. With such good numbers, you’d like to see that be higher. That is what I will be looking for this year, can Rudy Owens get deeper into games? If he can and can remain effective I think he has a good future with the club, especially since he is so young. Even if he can’t improve on this weakness and still keep up his good numbers, he could be a staple in the Pirates’ future rotation (hopefully by next year he will be in it). Personally I don’t see any ace in him, but do expect for him to win games and pitch well.

SP Justin Wilson: Another promising 23 year old starting pitcher who has already elevated to the AAA level. I liked the 5th rounder in 2008 as soon as the Pirates drafted him because he has ace potential. He was 4th in ERA (3.09) and 2nd in strikeouts (134) at the AA level last year. To give you some perspective, the top four for each category was of the same guys, but in a different order. The 4 were Wilson, Rudy Owens, Tom Milone (in Washington system), and young phenom Kyle Drabek who shined in his major league season debut last week with Toronto. Wilson gave up less home runs and hits than the other guys by significant amounts, but also walked more guys. The walks seem to be the only thing holding Wilson back from being a future number one starter in this organization. Even if he makes it and is very good with the big league club we have to hope that there will be no Gorzo breakdown with the walk risk. I watched an interview in which he stressed the importance of being more consistent this year and if he can do that he will be tough to hit at any level. He and Bryan Morris are the two pitchers I am most excited to see pitch for the Pirates.

So there you have it, maybe the Indians will still be watchable this year even with the McCutchen, Walker, Tabata, and Alvarez era over for good. We can only hope for a similar outcome that those players had. The pitching at the big league level has been very good so far to most people’s surprise. I was thinking my message was going to be to hang in there while these young guys get ready, but even better, we are in no rush at the moment so hopefully they can develop to their fullest. This is definitely not the most exciting team hitting wise, but the lineup does have some future major league hitters…even if they aren’t starters they could contribute. Here is my ranking for most promising MLB potential currently in AAA: